


i'm not sleeping this off, you're in my bloodstream now

by victoriousscarf



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M, Minor Drinking, RhodeyTony November Bash, Set some nebulous time between IM2 and Avengers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-21
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2019-02-05 00:36:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12783072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/victoriousscarf/pseuds/victoriousscarf
Summary: He should have been able to help it, because he was used to being around Tony now. Used to watching the way his hands moved when he talked, the line of his throat when he laughed, the darkness in his eyes when he wanted something. He was used to Tony calling him honey bear and cupcake and somehow being farther in his space than Rhodey usually allowed.There was no reason this one moment should have made him weaker than all the rest, the tilt of Tony's amused mouth more than he could bear another second without feeling it, without tasting it.So here he was.Kissing Tony Stark.





	i'm not sleeping this off, you're in my bloodstream now

**Author's Note:**

> Look, at something like 1 am yesterday morning I had a MIGHTY NEED for Rhodey really wanting to kiss Tony and Tony being an insecure fool about it.
> 
> Edit: and moments after posting this I discovered the Rhodey/Tony November bash so since it's November I'm gonna pretend like that was my plan all along.

Tony liked to joke he made all his best decisions drunk, but Rhodey never believed him when he joked anyway. Besides, it didn't matter much what state Tony made his best decisions in, because Rhodey never made the right ones when he was drunk.

As evidenced by right now, since he was pleasantly drunk, several glasses of whiskey in him, as he leaned over and kissed Tony. He should have been able to help it, because he was used to being around Tony now. Used to watching the way his hands moved when he talked, the line of his throat when he laughed, the darkness in his eyes when he wanted something. He was used to Tony calling him honey bear and cupcake and somehow being farther in his space than Rhodey usually allowed.

There was no reason this one moment should have made him weaker than all the rest, the tilt of Tony's amused mouth more than he could bear another second without feeling it, without tasting it.

So here he was.

Kissing Tony Stark.

And he curled a hand around Tony's neck, feeling Tony suck in a breath through his nose and for a moment there was nothing in the world except this, Tony's slightly parted lips and the feel of his hair in Rhodey's fingers and Rhodey finally, daringly, swiped his tongue across the bottom of Tony's lip because he came over here to taste him so damnit, he was going to.

But Tony drew back, breaking the kiss with a soft sound and Rhodey leaned farther further over the table, trying to follow him.

“Hey,” Tony said, leaning out of his range and Rhodey realized how stupidly desperate he was being anyway so he stopped himself. “You're a little drunk there.”

“I'm not that drunk,” Rhodey said because Tony was watching him with a sardonic smile that didn't seem right for someone who had just been kissed. Even if it wasn't that great of a kiss. Even if Tony hadn't responded at all.

“Yeah you are,” Tony said. “You should go sleep it off.”

“You could just say you don't want me to kiss you,” Rhodey said and Tony cocked his head slightly. “You don't have to act like you're pitying me about it.”

“I'm,” Tony started and shook his head. “It's not pity. You've just had a lot,” and he picked up the empty bottle of whiskey, shaking it at Rhodey. “And you'd never kiss me sober.”

“Wouldn't I?” Rhodey demanded and Tony blinked once at him, chin tilted back and for a second he looked vulnerable.

“Come on,” he said instead. “You really should sleep it off. It's been a long night already.”

But when he stood and started to walk away, Rhodey caught his arm, holding him back and Tony's expression was still shockingly open as he met Rhodey's eyes. Rhodey wasn't quite sure it wasn't going to his head. “I'm still going to want to kiss you in the morning. I always want to kiss you.”

Tony stared at him, eyes flickering down to Rhodey's mouth before meeting his eyes again. “Now I think you're just being mean.”

“Why'd you say something like that?” Rhodey asked, almost a sigh.

“Good night, Rhodey,” Tony said instead, and Rhodey let him go so he could walk away, back stiff. But even when he reached the end of the hallway, he looked over his shoulder, at where Rhodey still stood watching him walk away. That seemed to startle Tony and he ducked his head away, closing the door at the far end of the hallway.

Rhodey let his head fall against the table in front of him, because no matter what he had expected if he ever dared to kiss Tony, that had not been it.

-0-

The next morning Tony was awake before he was, which Rhodey knew since Jarvis wouldn't hear of Rhodey leaving while that drunk and had helpfully lit the pathway to a guest room. Besides, Tony had told him to _sleep it off_.

“Have you heard the news?” Tony asked, gesturing to his window, where the news was playing,

“About Captain America being found alive?” Rhodey asked. “Yeah, it's been everywhere.”

“Well, now apparently they got him thawed out,” Tony said, arms crossed loosely over his chest, a cup of coffee by his elbow and Rhodey found himself staring again. Like he always did. “Wonder what that would be like.”

“Waking up in the future?” Rhodey said. “Probably pretty frazzling. Probably kinda sad.”

“Sad?” Tony asked, tilting his head back.

“Well, sure,” Rhodey said. “I know you like looking toward the future and not the past but be honest, you'd still miss Pepper if you woke up sixty some odd years in the future.”

 _And me_ , but he felt too sore from the night before to say it.

Except Tony narrowed his eyes at him, a brief flicker before his expression smoothed back out.

“You know Pepper isn't the only person in my life.”

“Happy?” Rhodey offered, to be as difficult as Tony had been last night.

“Are you fishing for something?” Tony asked, and with a flick of his finger the news went on mute.

Rhodey crossed his arms, watching Tony and remembered him saying _now I think you're just being mean._ “You know I still want to kiss you, right?”

“What?” Tony asked, eyes going a little wide and a lot vulnerable all at once. “That wasn't—”

“You know I want to all the time, right?”

“You never said,” Tony said, looking away and perhaps Rhodey should have led with this, or led up to it but either way they were here now, Tony looking skittish and Rhodey still standing with his arms crossed over his chest.

“You make it pretty hard to say,” Rhodey said. “There always seems to be something going on, some reason not to do anything about it. Like, you know, you actively _dying_ and trying to make everyone hate you. Still a little mad about that to be honest.”

“Which is why—”

“Tony, just because someone is mad at you, because you make it real easy to be mad at you, doesn't mean they care about you less,” Rhodey said. “So. If you wanna pretend the last twelve or so hours didn't happen, tell me now. Because otherwise I'm pretty inclined to kiss you again.”

Tony squinted at him like he hadn't seen him before. “Are you serious?”

“Pretty damn, yeah,” Rhodey said and stepped forward. But Tony didn't step back, just tipping his head back to keep his eyes on Rhodey's. “You seemed convinced I wouldn't still want you sober.”

“Lots of people don't,” Tony said, and Rhodey sometimes hated how deep Tony's self-deprecating streak went. It bordered some days on self-loathing. “I'm not really a kiss and bring home to the parents type of person.”

“Do you want me to kiss you again?” Rhodey asked and Tony's eyes dropped to his mouth as they stood only a few inches apart. “You didn't kiss me back last night, so you know, if you don't want to, just tell me. But I'm sober so you can't just make up an excuse about me not wanting you.”

“You're pretty forceful about this this morning,” Tony said.

“Well, I already sorta let the cat out of the bag,” Rhodey said. “I know what it's like to kiss you now and there's just no way to come back from that. So I might as well go all in and see what happens.”

Tony was still staring at his mouth, chest rising and falling and for a moment they stood like that, in Tony's kitchen, before Tony surged forward, wrapping his arms around Rhodey's neck and yanking him down, their mouths slamming together and it was nothing like the stilted and desperate kiss from last night.

This time Rhodey got to shove Tony against the counter, and when he licked Tony's bottom lip Tony opened his mouth, drawing Rhodey deeper in. And Tony's hands were on his shoulders, on his neck, holding onto him anywhere Tony felt like it.

After that things were a bit of a whirlwind of touching and tasting and tripping over each other that ended with Tony naked on top of Rhodey's chest on his couch—his _couch_ , for fuck's _sake_ Tony—while Rhodey tangled his fingers in Tony's hair.

“This couch isn't actually that comfortable,” Rhodey said, after about fifteen minutes passed like that.

Tony hummed, his face still pressed against Rhodey's chest. “It served its purpose well.”

“A purpose a bed was supposed to serve,” Rhodey said, even though he actually didn't much care. Tony was still warm and soft in his arms and that's all he was currently paying attention to. Even the fact his back was starting to hurt didn't really matter.

Tony hummed. “I guess it is better for the post-coitus cuddles.”

Rhodey laughed, his chest feeling buoyant. “You are a cuddler then.”

“What about me ever made you suspect I wasn't?” Tony asked, almost sounding offended and Rhodey laughed again, burying his nose in Tony's hair and they stayed that way for several more minutes. “You're going to get sick of me, you know.”

“Maybe,” Rhodey said, looking at the ceiling, hands still on Tony's hair. “But at this point I sorta suspect I'm not going to. Get mad at you, sure. You start dying again without telling me and the fight we had at your birthday is going to look like child's play,” and that earned a half laugh from Tony, muffled by Rhodey's skin. “We're both frustrating people, Tony. But sick of you? I'd tear the desert apart again if I lost you. I'm not getting sick of you now.”

Tony turned his head, kissing Rhodey's chest and making him shiver before Tony leaned up on his elbows, bending his head down for another lazy, filthy kiss that made Rhodey clutch his hipbones again. “Well,” Tony murmured as Rhodey nuzzled their mouths together. “Might as well give it a try, I suppose.”

“Might as well,” Rhodey agreed, because from Tony those words were almost a confession on their own.

And since Rhodey hadn't made any grand confessions of his own he figured he could live with that _almost_ for now.

 


End file.
